0015 PDT / 0315 EDT / 0715 GMT / 1715 AEST: So, the European and Asian launches of the iPhone 5 have taken place. That leaves just the U.S. and Canada, starting in the eastern time zones in 5 hours. There's still eight hours until the iPhone 5 hits the west coast and in Palo Alto the media has already arrived to cover the launch in Palo Alto. That's the Apple Store closest to where Steve Jobs lived.

2345 PDT / 0245 EDT / 0645 GMT / 1645 AEST: Next-up, the launch in the U.K.

2340 PDT / 0240 EDT / 0640 GMT / 1640 AEST: Earlier we copied a tweet from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who was in line to buy a phone in Melbourne. There's been no update on his Twitter account but the Los Angeles Times reached him to find out he bought two iPhone 5s -- one black and one white because he couldn't decide between them. Quotes the LAT, "I went in thinking I liked the black better, but now I'm thinking I like the white better," he said. "They're both so beautiful."

2325 PDT / 0225 EDT / 0625 GMT / 1625 AEST: The folks at @ifixit have published a teardown of the iPhone 5. There are lots of pictures and a video. The phone was apparently purchased just a few hours ago in Melbourne, Australia. The headline finding: replacing the screen should be much easier. A 5-10 minute process versus a 45 minute process on the iPhone 4S.

2305 PDT / 0205 EDT / 0605 GMT / 1605 AEST: More from Peter Sayer at the Opera Apple Store in Paris: The first customer in Paris was Anthony Fitch from Rome. He arrived at 10.30pm Wednesday to get his iPhone 5. It goes on sale the 28th in Italy. Meanwhile, the biggest noise being made at the launch is coming from a handful of former Apple resellers who are protesting.

2300 PDT / 0200 EDT / 0600 GMT / 1600 AEST: And with the turning of the hour, the iPhone 5 is on sale in France and Germany. IDG reporter Peter Sayer in Paris says there are between 500 and 1,000 queued for the phone.

2245 PDT / 0145 EDT / 0545 GMT / 1545 AEST: The global iPhone 5 launch trundles along. Up next are France and Germany, the first two European nations to see the handset. London will follow an hour after that and then we're into the home stretch with just the U.S. and Canada to go. Here's a great gallery of people waiting for the iPhone in Paris:

And a photo of the line outside the Apple Store in London's Covent Garden

2210 PDT / 0110 EDT / 0510 GMT / 1510 AEST: So what is all the fuss about? Sure there's all that stuff you can do with the iPhone 5, but what about the phone itself. iPhone-Garage.de, a repair site, has posted this teardown of a new iPhone 5. There are lots of pictures of the inside of the phone.

2200 PDT / 0100 EDT / 0500 GMT / 1500 AEST: The iPhone 5 launch in Paris might not be as smooth as those in other countries. Staff and three Apple stores plan to strike as part of a dispute on pay and working conditions, reports France 24. One worker likened the Apple Stores to coal mines.

2125 PDT / 0025 EDT / 0425 GMT / 1425 AEST: We've got this video report of the iPhone 5 launch in Japan and Australia. Take a look at the scenes. There were some crazy folks in line in Japan!

1955 PDT / 2255 EDT / 0255 GMT / 1255 AEST: Only in Japan: IDG reporter Jay Alabaster interviewed someone in line for the iPhone 5. When asked about his job, he said he worked in a "samurai-related" field. He was dressed the part too!

1920 PDT / 2220 EDT / 0220 GMT / 1220 AEST: And we're back! The iPhone 5 has gone on sale in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Here are some pictures from Hong Kong: